USA Bobsled and Skeleton
Contact: Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Manager
(518) 354-2250, abird@usbsf.com
World Cup wraps up European races in St. Moritz while Youth Olympic Games team prepares for competition
ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (January 17, 2012)–The World Cup tour will make its last European stop in the resort town of St. Moritz, Switzerland before moving to North America. The only non-refrigerated track on circuit has already hosted the World Championships a record 21 times in addition to two Winter Olympic Games, and will again host the 2013 World Championships next season.
“We are really looking to have some solid races here this weekend since it’s the site of 2013 Worlds,” said Tuffy Latour, U.S. skeleton head coach. “This is a favorite location for many of our athletes, so it’ll be a great way to cap the European portion of tour.”
Racing begins at 8:50 am local time on Friday with women’s skeleton, followed by women’s bobsled at 1 pm. The men’s skeleton and men’s two-man bobsled competitions will take place at 8:50 am and 1 pm, respectively, on Saturday before the event concludes with four-man bobsled racing at 9 am on Sunday.
The U.S. will again field a full roster in all five disciplines. Men’s bobsled pilot Steven Holcomb hopes to navigate his USA-1 sled into the medals for the first time in St. Moritz. Holcomb’s best finish to date on the natural course is fourth. John Napier will test his driving skills on the long 1,722-meter course for a chance to crack into the top 10.
Bree Schaaf is expected to lead the U.S. women as the most experienced bobsled pilot on the team. Schaaf has already competed in St. Moritz twice, finishing 11th in 2010 and 13th in 2011. Elana Meyers and Jazmine Fenlator raced in the St. Moritz Europa Cup competition on Saturday, just a day after competing in the Koenigssee, Germany World Cup race, to gain valuable experience before this weekend.
Women’s skeleton athlete Katie Uhlaender claimed bronze when St. Moritz hosted the 2007 World Championships and should once again lead the squad. Teammates Annie O’Shea, Matt Antoine, Kyle Tress and John Daly will meet the natural course for only the second time in their careers. Daly finished fifth in St. Moritz last season to set a World Cup personal best result, and will hope to turn his season around by breaking into the top three. Meanwhile, Kimber Gabryszak will race the course for the first time in her sliding career.
Watch the St. Moritz events LIVE by visiting www.fibt.com. Universal Sports will also broadcast the events with commentary and interviews on one-week delay. Programs will air Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights at 6 pm EST.
This is an exciting week for the U.S. youth team in Igls, Austria. Bobsled and skeleton official training for the 2012 Youth Olympic Games competitions begins tomorrow. Skeleton athletes Elizabeth Maxwell, Timi Earl and Anthony Herringshaw will compete for the title on Friday, while bobsledders Codie Bascue and Jake Peterson have their shot at gold on Saturday.
For media inquiries, please contact Amanda Bird, USBSF Marketing & Communications Manager, at abird@usbsf.com, or at (518) 354-2250.
About the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation
The United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, based in Lake Placid, N.Y., is the national governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton in the United States. The USBSF would like to thank its sponsors, suppliers and contributors for their support: BMW of North America, Under Armour, United States National Guard, Kampgrounds of America, National Strength and Conditioning Association, Vivat!, Global Forwarding, KBC Helmets, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, EDAS/Ripxx, UberSense, Tesa Tape and Ferris Mfg. Corp. For more information, please visit the USBSF website at http://bobsled.teamusa.org.
###